Compatible RAM options for your Ryzen 5 1600 AF include DDR4 3200MHz or DDR4 3600MHz modules.
Compatible RAM options for your Ryzen 5 1600 AF include DDR4 3200MHz or DDR4 3600MHz modules.
You’d need faster RAM for the Ryzen 5 1600 AF. The G.Skill Ripjaws V 2400mhz (red) is a solid choice, but it might not be the absolute best fit for this CPU. Building a gaming rig under $650 USD with RAM under $160 AUD is feasible if you go with the recommended speeds.
Avoid the 2400MHz option. Almost all 2400MHz units lack overclocking flexibility, so you might find 3000MHz models available at comparable costs.
Increasing from 2400 to 2933/3000Mhz provides clear improvements (only a few FPS gains, at most). Beyond 3200Mhz the advantage diminishes significantly and isn’t worth the effort. This isn’t a standard speed rating, so pushing it further won’t be straightforward.
I would select the following components for your budget build:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz, 6-core processor, $169.00
- Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH PLUS Micro ATX AM4, $116.80
- RAM: GeIL EVO SPEAR 16 GB (2 x 8 GB), DDR4-3000, $115.50
- Storage: TCSunBow X3 480 GB SSD, 2.5", $92.73
- Graphics: Palit GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6 GB, GamingPro OC, $399.00
- Case: Mighty Ape Deepcool MicroATX Mini Tower, $45.00
- Power Supply: Cooler Master MasterWatt 550 W, Bronze Certified, $99.00
Total estimated cost: $1037.03
It includes four SATA 6Gb/s connections, works with RAID configurations 0, 1 and 10 using one M.2 slot (Key M), and supports PCIe 3.0 x4 (AMD Ryzen™/Ryzen™ with Vega Graphics and 2nd Gen Ryzen™ with Radeon™) or PCIe 3.0 x2 (Athlon™ with Vega Graphics). It also accommodates SATA 6Gb/s drives rated at 2242, 2260 or 2280.